How would you get an elephant into a fridge? 10 weird job interview questions.

Jan 17, 2013

We’ve all attended interviews that have gone badly, and no doubt some that have gone much better. Now and again you encounter an interviewer that puts you on the back foot with a bizarre question that you couldn’t have prepared for. For example, my sister in law was recently asked to ‘tell a joke’ in the middle of a telephone interview.

Here are some other gems that I’ve heard;

1. “What song best describes your work ethic?”

2. “Name 3 previous Nobel Prize Winners.”

3. “If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?”

4. “My wife and I are going on holiday, where would you recommend and why?”

5. “Have you ever stolen a pen from work?”

6. “If you had turned your mobile phone to silent, and it rang really loudly despite it being on silent, what would you tell me?”

7. “On a scale from one to ten, rate me as an interviewer.”

8. “How would you get an elephant into a fridge?”

9. “What punctuation mark best describes you?”

10. “A penguin walks through that door wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?”

These sorts of questions are actually said to show whether the candidate is calm and creative under pressure.

So what ‘odd ball’ question have you received/asked during an interview?